{"id":6728,"date":"2018-01-22T08:00:09","date_gmt":"2018-01-22T16:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=6728"},"modified":"2018-01-21T15:06:34","modified_gmt":"2018-01-21T23:06:34","slug":"mark-watches-steven-universe-s05e11-lars-of-the-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2018\/01\/mark-watches-steven-universe-s05e11-lars-of-the-stars\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Steven Universe’: S05E11 – Lars of the Stars"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the eleventh episode of the fifth season of Steven Universe<\/i>, THIS IS CRUEL, WHY WOULD YOU. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Steven Universe<\/i>.<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not often anymore that I keep up with show\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve covered. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s almost entirely due to time, not interest. (Though, admittedly, my interest in Supernatural<\/i> has waned because that last season I saw was not all that good.) I know I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got more of Doctor Who<\/i> and iZombie<\/i> to get to, but I have a different concern that I have to be aware of when I do shows like this. Mark Watches is basically a slow binge-watch. Even if I might take months upon months, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m still watching every episode in order. So when shows get broken up by airing schedules, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have the fortune of having everything fresh in my mind. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve gone months between episodes of Doctor Who<\/i>, for example. Hell, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m an entire season behind!<\/p>\n

One thing I adore about Steven Universe<\/i>, though, is how easy it is for me to settle back into this show. I feel like I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m seeing an old friend, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one who is easy to talk to. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve never been apart. And dropping back into Steven Universe<\/i> after the last couple of episodes felt natural to me. I WAS READY. I COULDN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T WAIT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT CONNIE AND STEVEN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S FIRST TRIP TOGETHER INTO SPACE. YES YES YES! But all the memories I had of this seasons arc came rushing back to me: Connie and Steven were friends again. Lars had been left in an uncomfortable scenario, but he had changed so much<\/i> since the beginning of the show. Getting to see that characterization was so fulfilling, you know?<\/p>\n

Thus, the opening of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Lars of the Stars\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is a continuation of that journey. When Connie and Steven use Lion to travel to Lars, they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t expect to be dropping in a space ship in the midst of a battle with another gem, Emerald. I love the shock and awe of this: we are thrown into chaos, and through this, context clues give us the real story of what Lars has been up to since Steven last saw him.<\/p>\n

The obvious change is in Lars\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s demeanor. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s far more confident than we ever<\/i> saw him, and his command of the Star Incinerator gives us a side of him that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s engrossing. He gets along with the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Off Colors\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthe name that Emerald gives to all the rejected gems who survived in that cave with Lars\u00e2\u20ac\u201dsplendidly well. They are a team<\/i>. Each of them works on their specialty, and each contributes to their escape as best as they can. THEY SURVIVED TOGETHER, Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ALL. And in this, the writers manage to provide a parallel to many of the other groups of friends on the show. Through the power of friendship, loyalty, and support, characters in Steven Universe<\/i> are able to overcome impossible odds and protect one another. It was striking, too, to see just how happy<\/i> all these characters were. I mean, they aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t jumping for joy to be relentlessly pursued by Emerald. What I mean is that you can see just how well they work together. You can see how much they trust Lars, how much Lars respects and appreciates all of them. WHICH IS WHY IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S SO GREAT THAT STEVONNIE APPEARS. What better expression of friendship is there???<\/p>\n

But these are all friendships that exist and thrive because of proximity. We aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t allowed to forget that Lars is physically separated from his friends and family on Earth. He gets emotional about the gift box that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s assembled for him, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the evidence of Sadie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s life that gets to him the most. The problem is that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a snapshot. It is only a piece of the whole, but to Lars, it looks like a joyful<\/i> piece of the whole. How can she be happy when he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so miserable, so desperate to return home?<\/p>\n

Thankfully, STEVONNIE IS THERE FOR THE RESCUE. I found the ultimate message of this episode to be particularly meaningful right now, especially as our world pitches further into darkness. It sucks<\/i> being sad and scared and angry. I appreciate those emotions and the ways in which they motivate me, but sometimes, you have<\/i> to move on. You have to do other things or chase hobbies or dreams because otherwise, the only thing you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll think about is all the garbage in the world. Lars had to have this pointed out to him because he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even realize that he<\/i> had moved on in a way. He had found a means to feel happy, if even for a moment. And there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s nothing wrong with that.<\/p>\n

THERE IS EVERYTHING WRONG WITH THE CLIFFHANGER THAT THIS EPISODE DEALT ME. NO, THANK YOU, PLEASE LET STEVONNIE BE OKAY.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Lars of the Stars\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– My YA contemporary debut, ANGER IS A GIFT<\/a>, is now available for pre-order!\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>If you’d like to stay up-to-date on all announcements regarding my books, sign up for my newsletter<\/a>! DO IT.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"